Increasing the milk production of lactating dairy cattle along with the quality of the milk is an ongoing challenge facing the dairy industry. The challenge is complicated by the fact that, even though a dairy cattle diet can be provided with all the essential ingredients to meet her requirements, she may still face problem of bioavailability of the essential nutrients due to non-absorption of nutrients in the intestine at the levels required for higher milk production. One cause of this dilemma is the digestive system of the dairy cattle herself. Ingested feed first passes into the reticulo-rumen, where it is subject to anaerobic microbial fermentation. This microbial fermentation begins the digestive process and gives the ruminant the ability to utilize fibrous feeds that the mammalian system alone cannot break down due to the lack of necessary enzyme systems. The host cattle subsequently meets her own nutrient needs by utilizing the by-products of this extensive fermentation, along with any undigested feed residues and the resultant microbial mass that passes from the rumen. Ruminant species are able to effectively utilize dietary ingredients that are poorly used by monogastric species. This occurs because ruminants can ferment dietary ingredients in the reticulo-rumen compartment of their complex ruminant stomach.
Bioavailability of food is an important issue in nutrition. Bioavailability refers to the amount of a nutrient in a food that the body may ultimately use to perform specific physiological functions. Nutrients ingested but not released during the digestive process for absorption are of no nutritional value. “An assessment of the adequacy of dietary intakes of nutrients requires not only knowledge of the nutrient content of the foods ingested but also the extent to which the nutrient present in the diet is available for absorption and utilization [Sauberlich H E. Bioavailability of vitamins. Prog Food Nutr Sci. 1985; 9(1-2):1-33. Review. PMID: 3911266]. The term ‘bioavailability’ attempts to include in a single concept the effect of a sequence of metabolic events, i.e., digestibility, solubilization, absorption, organ uptake and release, enzymatic transformation, secretion and excretion [Bronner F. Nutrient bioavailability, with special reference to calcium. J Nutr. 1993 May; 123(5):797-802. Review. PMID: 8487089]. A number of factors affect bioavailability: factors contained in the food itself, factors of cattle physiology, factors specific to cattle health status, and factors related to the food processing.
Often, these above problems are addressed through the use of synthetic chemicals or hormones. U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,211 disclose a composition designed for improving the digestibility of feed for ruminants that contains an aromatic phenol derivative, an absorbing support, and an aromatizing mixture. U.S. Pat. No. 5,496,571 discloses a method for increasing the production of milk in ruminants that includes oral administration of an increasing amount of encapsulated choline. U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,276 discloses a method for increasing lactation in lactating ruminants that includes the administration of antibiotics. U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,332 discloses a composition for increasing milk fat production in ruminants that includes sodium and magnesium antacids, an electrolyte, and sodium bicarbonate. The WO 03068158 discloses the composition for increasing milk production in an cattle that includes an active compound chosen from calcium isopropyl cresol, calcium isopropyl-o-cresol, lactic acid, or combinations thereof, and calcium carbonate as a buffering agent.
There are few reports, which deal with the compositions containing natural agents such as herbs and probiotics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,050 discloses the probiotic composition which is particularly useful for inclusion in food products to enhance their nutritional value, comprises one or more probiotic microorganisms such as Bifidobacterium and a carrier to transport the microorganisms to the large bowel or other regions of the gastrointestinal tract. The invention disclosed in WO03043440 relates to a composition comprising a fungus and at least one growth-promoting component selected from the group comprising organic acids, inorganic acids, cattle feed antibiotics, conventional growth promoters, and plant extracts, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, enzymes and herbs. U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,814 discloses bioavailability-facilitating composition comprising Cuminum cyminum along with herbal drugs and neutraceuticals. It highlights the increase in drug uptake in presence of Cuminum cyminum. US 20070009577 highlights the importance of Probiotic compositions in promoting the health of humans and other cattles. U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,695 discloses composition and method thereof for increasing milk production in diary cattle by balancing the essential amino acids via a particular complete feed, concentrate, or blender or base mix form of the composition which delivers essential amino acids post-ruminally.
So there are none of the compositions, which contain naturally occurring agents and which address both the problems of increasing the milk production along with improved quality by increase in Fat and SNF content. Hence the present inventor aim is to address the above problems without undesired side effects by developing a multi purpose herbal cattle feed supplement composition, mainly comprising:
a) medicinal herbs,
b) probiotics,
c) DCC,
d) chelated mineral mixture or mineral nutrients and
e) DCP or dolomite or calcite.
The herbal revolution and its implementation to daily nutrient intake or function food/dietary supplements with desired therapeutic efficacy led the world populations great interest in the herbal compositions. This ultimately led to researchers to develop them in functional food and nutraceuticals and finally to develop marketable products. Functional foods are substances that provide health benefits beyond the normal nutritional values and nutrients added, which are not naturally occurring in that food is called as functional fortified food. The plants are the major source among the Indian masses, since most important foods of mankind as these are not only nutritive but are also sometimes indispensable for the maintenance of health. There are some herbal food supplements available in the developed nations and a few in the developing ones.
Probiotics are microorganisms that are beneficial to the health of an individual. There are a variety of probiotic microorganisms, which are suitable for use in feed supplement compositions including yeasts such as Saccharomyces, and bacteria such as the genera Bifidobacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium, Fusobacterium, Propionibacterium, Streptococcus, Enteroccus, Lactococcus, Staphylococcus, Peptostrentococcus and Lactobacillus. Probiotics are predominately lactic acid producing bacteria. In contrast to herbal medicine, probiotics developed as a science only recently; and this science remains unacknowledged by many medical practitioners. Probiotics are widely present in nature and serve many beneficial functions. Biologically, they are classified as plants. They are non-pathogenic, do not produce toxins, and are considered natural and organic. They are essentially an opposite of antibiotics, which are inhibitory to other bacteria, including probiotic bacteria. These beneficial bacteria have an antagonistic effect on pathogenic bacteria, while antibiotics have an antagonistic effect on probiotics.
It would be desirable to more widely employ natural agents such as herbal mixtures and probiotics in order to benefit from their safe and beneficial activity. In particular, it would be desirable to use natural agents to induce a more rapid response from herbal medicines by stimulating their beneficial action. The desirability of a combination of natural agents would be dependent, however, upon the continued absence of adverse side effects.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the compositions and process of preparation thereof.